Little Fishy
by Issue No 2708786
Summary: Luffy works in a fish market


Luffy blinked down at the fish that were in a large white box, the market sold lots of different fish from the local river on the north of the island. The tiny little silvery fish with their dead eyes seem to stare back a him.

But it was not the fish itself that caught his attention, it was the name attached; smelt. Luffy blinked at the name, sure that he was misreading it. He broke the word up in his mind; 'Sm' ...'el' ...'t'.

"Oi! Old man?" Luffy called to the fisherman who was smiling at another person as they studied a large fish in their hand; the grey haired fisherman turned to Luffy and smiled at him. "Do these fish smell?"

"No!" The old man boomed with a laugh, "The fact that they don't smell means they're fresh in, only old fish that has been left around has that fishy smell!"

Luffy glanced down at the silvery fish that were in the box and grinned. "Could I get every box you have of these smelts!"

"Sure, you could..." The old man beamed at him as he came around to the front of his stall, "But I have six boxes of these, you sure you want the lot?"

"Yeah!" Luffy replied with a broad grin, nodding his head, "There are nine of us, I'm sure we will get those them!"

"Well then," The old man left the box up and placed it on a table, "I'll get those boxes ready, and take them where ever you want. Think you can watch my stall for me?"

"Sure! I docked on pier nine, number 20." Luffy said as he wondered around and sat on the seat behind the stall tables. "I been going to fish market since I was young, this is the first time I come to the other side!"

The old fisherman laughed at that as he went around carrying the box and headed for a wooden cart, he disappeared in a small doorway. Luffy turned back to the stall and glanced the man still eyeing up the fish. He was about to talk to the man up paused... he was serving.

Luffy had worked in a bar before, on the first week he really messed up things and he felt badly for Makino who always cared for him; after that he was taught how to treat and talk with paying customers.

Luffy's grin dropped and a serene smile graced his lips as he stood from the seat and over looked the stock, he pictured the fish as bottles he managed while working for Makino.

Luffy blinked as the cart began to move away from the back, he watched as it went down the street and turned the corner toward the way to the docks. Luffy noticed Sanji walking towards him, eyeing up some of the shall there.

Luffy was about to call out to him but stopped when he saw someone coming his way.

"Afternoon," Luffy greeted with a strong but kind as a young woman came up to him, with her child; at the sound his voice Sanji looked his way, Luffy could see him raising his viable eyebrow, "How can I help you today?"

"Billy not here today?" She asked as she looked around.

"Billy is delivering some fish to the docks," Luffy said with a professional barman smile, he leaned forward and waved a hand over the fish before him, "If there is everything you need, I shall be here for all your needs!"

"Thank you," She said with a blush as she glanced down to her child, to which Luffy noticed was a son at this point, "We would like some red herring please, four if you have that number."

"Of course, I shall just be a moment." Luffy said as he sent her a charming smile, and quickly glanced around at the shall. He saw what he was looking for and walked around to the front.

Luffy only knew what they looked like thanks to Sanji, who whenever he cooked talked about the kind of fish or meat it was, if Luffy or anyone was there he was show it to them.

'Luffy.' Makino voice floated in his mind, 'When you're getting fish for the restaurant, always make sure that the fish are near enough the same size. Understand?'

Luffy grabbed a bottom to liquor gel and placed it on his hands and rubbed it in, something he saw when he used to buy the stock for the restaurant part of the bar. He reached for some paper and placed on the table there. Then went for the fish.

As he turned to face the woman again, he noticed Sanji standing over to one side talking on a baby den-den, "What sizes were you looking for madam?"

"Two fairly big and two smaller ones." She said with not looking at him, she was hunting through her bag for something.

Luffy nodded with a smile, even though she never saw it and went and pick up two nice size fish and placed them on the paper that was on the table, before reaching one for two smaller ones. He took a step back and glanced at the woman.

"How are these?" Luffy asked keeping his smile up the same way he had doing the whole way through.

"Prefect!" The woman said as she look them up and down, "How much are they?"

Luffy shifted through his memory banks and saw a fisherman weighing the fish before saying a price. It was then Luffy noticed the scales at the base of the table, and a card stuck onto the table showing the price by weight.

Smiling boldly Luffy carefully put the fish one at a time noting the weight and working the price out. Luffy said the price and began wrapping the fishes for the woman. She took the wrap and handed over the money, to which Luffy went back around the shall and look around for the money box. On finding it he reached down and worked out the chanced.

"Thank you very much!" Luffy said smiling and waved down at the little boy as them moved on.

Luffy went around the shall and instead of sitting he kept standing, he notice the man from before frowning at a fish. If it was any other time Luffy would have told him to hurry up and throw a fish in his face, but he could not do _that_ while he working. The very thought caused the smile to turn into a grin.

Luffy blinked when he spotted both Sanji and Usopp now, standing closer than Sanji was before; Usopp stood with his arms crossed over his chest, while Sanji had his hands in his pocket. The pair were watching him with serous look on their faces.

In time another person came up and asked for some fish, to which put on his best professional smile and repeated what he had done before. Finished Luffy blinked as he noticed that Nami and Zoro now joined the other two. He did not have time to call out to them, all people came and he was quick to serve them.

Luffy just finished serving four more people, and glanced up to the others. Brook, Robin and Chopper was now there watching him.

"Oi lad!" The old fisher man called as he jumped from the cart, "I took the fish to your ship!" He grinned as he came over, Luffy smiled at him and nodded then went back to serving. The old man watched for a moment and then went around to the back and check his money box.

Somewhere in between the customers the old man started restocking the boxes with fish from the cart.

"You did well lad!" The old man boomed as he patted him on the back, "I was surprised to see you were a pirate, your big _super_ friend scare me!" He laughed aloud, Luffy only smile as he finished up with the last customer. "You're doing well! Have you done this kind of thing before?"

"No," Luffy grinned as he came over to the man, "But before I was a pirate I worked a bar! Something the chief asked me to get the fish from the market!"

"Oh! Bartering wasn't for you then?" The old fisherman asked as he grinned down at him.

"Nope! I happy with my choice!" Luffy said as he reached in his pocket for his money, "How much do I own you for the fish?"

"It's on me lad!" The old man Billy laughed, "I'm happy you went to the trouble of serving, most people I ask to watch the shall while I'm delivering send the people away! So thank you so much!"

"Shishishishishishi!" Luffy laughed as he waved and walked off towards his crew who had watched a amazing thing just then. "Thanks! Bye! Oi! Sanji! I got us some little fishes!"


End file.
